Whether From Glass Or Stone
by CuriouslyCheekyCheye
Summary: Every world is filled with unique people and sights. Every last one with their own characteristics and features that make them so different. Destiny Island is known for its star-shaped fruit that can bind people's fates together, but there's something else that makes them special too. The people of Destiny Islands are born with gems. Part 1 of All That Glitters Must Be Gold.


Whoops.

Instead of working on other stuff, i made an au. Wonder how that happened.

I also gave Kairi a personality, so I'm pretty proud of that. I hope you all like this!

* * *

Kairi was six years old when she washed up on the sands of Destiny Islands.

She doesn't remember how it happened. All she knows, was told, is that a group of fishermen saw her laying on the beaches one morning, clothes being tugged on by the waves and unconscious from what they suspected to be oxygen loss.

One carried her further inland and checked her airways while another ran to get help. After that, she was taken to the clinic.

Everything happened too fast after that for her to recall. Everything before that is completely blank.

To a child, all of this is terrifying. Kairi didn't have a clue what was going on, where she was or who all these people around her were. She didn't know how to answer all the questions they were asking her, or how to respond to their pitying glances. All she could do was cry in panic and fear.

The mayor, Mayor Geno, helped her. He came in with the nurse looking after her and asked if he could adopt her. He took her to his home and explained to her what was going on. He also explained why people were treating her weird. It's not only because she's a stranger with amnesia.

To put it simply, people born on Destiny Islands are born with gems embedded somewhere on their bodies.

Kairi stared at the man when he told her that, bewildered. She only believed him when he showed her his gem, a round opal on the outside of his left hand.

"How?!" She had asked, gripping his hand in her much smaller ones to get a closer look. He laughed at her very valid reaction.

"You must have lost more memories than just your past, Kairi. This is common knowledge." He pulled his hand back and lifted her onto his lap. Kairi fidgeted and made herself comfortable, not taking her eyes off him.

"See, people are born with gems. Some say we _are_ gems, but that mentality has caused us some trouble in the past. Too many people thinking those with more precious gems are better than others, even though they have no redeemable qualities outside of that." He snorted. "Not me! Opals are pretty common, but that doesn't make me less important than a ruby! I got my position as mayor through blood, sweat, and tears, not from being conceited."

He glanced down at her in fake suspicion. "You don't think I'm conceited, do you?"

"No!" Kairi still doesn't know what that word means. The man gasped.

"You do? Little rascal, I'll show you!" He started to tickle her with one hand while the other held her, so the child wouldn't go tumbling off his lap.

Kairi squirmed, futilely slapping at his arm as she giggled her little head off.

Once they calm down he tells her more. While those old ideas may have faded away, traces still remain. And if someone didn't have a gem, they were considered disabled.

Not that she was, the man had said. She could do everything everyone else could do. But she has to be more careful than everyone else because she doesn't have a gem.

"Why?" Kairi asked him, frowning."

"Because," he said, looking her in the eye. "We can't get permanently hurt." Kairi is shushed before she can ask what he means. "Say a tree branch fell on you. You'd be stuck until someone could lift it off, and be left very injured. Maybe even dead. But if that happened to us, we'd be fine. Our bodies would poof into smoke, and we'd go into our gems to heal. It'd take a bit, but afterwards, we reform as if nothing happened. See the problem?"

Kairi got what he was saying, but she still didn't understand. She'll just live like she always did, however that was. Otherwise, she'd probably be covered in scars or dead by now.

And she did. She lived as normally as she could, thrust into a new place with no memories to her name and only the clothes on her back.

She runs around with all the other children on the Islands, learning their games and exploring their world. She experiences the hot sands and cool waters and trips over roots and rocks in the ground. She even makes two best friends.

First is Sora, the human incarnation of sunshine. He draws her in with a blinding smile and traps her with his sky blue eyes, always so eager for adventure. His arms are warm and inviting when he pulls her in for quick hugs and to wrestle on the beach. His voice is so loud when he calls for her to join him and Riku.

Riku comes second, joined to Sora by the hip. He likes to pretend he doesn't want to play with her, but then he's waiting for her at the door when Sora's already run ahead. He points out interesting things he finds and catches her when she falls. His hands –stronger than hers and Sora's- will grab both of them and yank them along when they walk too slow. He never leaves either of them behind.

But she likes him less than she does Sora. He doesn't always think through what he says and plays rough. She has no idea if Riku does it on purpose or not. Wither way she'd rather walk next to Sora.

When Kairi isn't playing with them, she's with the other girls. From them, she learns how to make things, like baskets, flower crowns, and Wayfinders.

Those are her favourite. Five Thalassa Shells tied together at the tips to form a star, and something put in the middle. They're modeled after Paopu Fruit, and people who carry the charms will never be separated. Just like if they shared one of the fruit – their destinies are tied together forever.

Kairi's sitting on the beaches of the play island, a pile of broken shells on one side of her and whole ones on the other. Her fingers are unsteady, and she breaks through the tip of yet another shell with her needle. She chucks it aside with a strangled growl.

"Hey, Kairi! What are you doing?" Sora's head pops over her shoulder. Riku's thankfully fast enough to pull him back before Kairi can elbow him in the stomach.

"Stop doing that, Sora! You know I don't like it." Kairi grumbles, brushing shell shards off her skirt. She tucks the needle into her pocket and looks up at them. Both boys look scuffed up and their faces are red; they must have been racing again.

Sora rubs his head, embarrassed. "Sorry." Riku snorts. He sticks out a hand to help Kairi up. "Hey." He greets.

The sun shines on his gem, a pretty green and blue one on his left shoulder. It's round like her adoptive father's, 4 centimeters in diameter and too big for his thin arm. He tells them he'll grow into it, but now it just looks funny.

She hasn't seen Sora's gem yet, and her dad says it's rude to ask if someone doesn't leave it on display.

Kairi raises her eyebrow. "So what do you two want? Is it a race?" She asks. It usually is.

"Nope!" Sora chirps. His eyes are shining again. "We wanted to know if you wanna spar with us. I don't think you've tried it yet." He starts tugging her gently forward.

Riku nods. "Yeah, you've been here for a while but I haven't seen you sparing or learning from anyone."

Kairi hesitates to say yes. The boys swing wildly and her dad told her to be careful. "I don't know…"

"C'mon, Kairi. Don't be a wimp." Riku teases, leading her and Sora to the shed. "We'll even go easy on you. Since you don't have a gem and everything." Sora takes a swing at him.

"Riku! Don't be mean!" He scolds. "So what if Kairi doesn't have a gem? She can still-"

"I'll do it." Kairi interrupts, glaring hotly at the silverette. She tugs her hand free. "And I'll beat your butt too!"

Riku grins. "Oh yeah?" He opens the shed door. "Go wait on the sparring ground. I'll bring the swords."

Kairi marches away, Sora spinning his head wildly trying to figure out who he should stay with. He ends up following her.

"Are you okay?" He asks, pulling at her hand for attention.

"I'm just fine, and I'll be even better when I bury his head in the sand."

"I'm sure he didn't mean what he said. He just wanted to make you angry."

Kairi's shoes slam heavily on the wooden bridge. "Well, he did. I'll show him not to underestimate me." He won't be so macho when she smears his face in the mud.

Sora watches her pace around the small piece of land, face scrunched up and unsure what to do. He sits on their tree and decides to not annoy her further.

When Riku finally arrives with two wooden swords in hand, Kairi's laying against the tree huffing. Maybe she shouldn't have walked so much…

He laughs at her.

"Tired already?"

She glares and forces herself up. "You wish."

"Time to put your money where your mouth is. Catch." He tosses one of the swords to her, and it bounces clumsily in her arms. She huffs and stands opposite of him. Sora sits between them on the side-line.

"Okay, here's how this works. You come at me with that and try to hit or stab me. Nothing below the belt or above the shoulders, and no trying to push anyone off the island. The winner is the who gets in three good hits, Sora will judge. Alright?"

Sora and Kairi both nod.

"Cool. Sora, say when."

Sora hops off the branch and waits for them both to get into position. Kairi's stance is clumsy and unbalanced, holding the sword more like a bat or stick. Riku, on the other hand, stands like he knows what he's doing. By no means is he an expert, but he won't go tipping over at the slightest nudge.

Sora lifts his hand. "Ready? Go!" He chops down, and the two are off.

Riku leaps at Kairi, using long, hard swings to bring her down. He combines the momentum he gets with his superior strength and leaves bruises where his sword lands.

Kairi stumbles at first, knocked off her feet by a hit to her side. Riku rears up for another strike, granting her the time to scramble to her feet and get out of his range. She lifts up her sword and blocks a strike, nearly skidding back. He jumps high and brings his arm down for a brutal hit.

Kairi spins out of his trajectory and uses the opportunity to hit him in the side. It's soft and not completely on the mark, but it counts. Riku spins to hit her again and she falls to the right, but his wide swings leave his defense open. She jumps forward and jabs him roughly in his side. Two to one in her favour.

She skips back when he turns to her.

"What? Weren't you gonna make eat my words?" She taunts, out of breath. His face is turning even redder.

"I will when you stop dodging."

Sora laughs loudly in the background, "You show him Kairi!" He's bouncing where he stands, watching eagerly. What Kairi lacks in technique and strength, she makes up for in speed and flexibility.

Riku doesn't back down. "You're next, Sora!" He hollers, lunging at her again. Kairi trips over her own feet trying to dodge and takes a hit to her ribs. They're even again. The next strike decides the winner.

Riku starts using shorter swings, focusing on getting her out as fast as possible. She runs around him best she can and waits for an opening. He almost gets her in the stomach, but she trips backwards.

There. He stretched too far and unbalanced himself.

Kairi scrambles forward and throws her sword between his legs. Then she pushes him and he goes crashing down with a yelp.

Before he can get up she yanks her sword off the ground and swings hard at him. The wood strikes his chest and he's out.

"Kairi wins!" Sora yells, jumping in place with a huge grin. Kairi laughs in return.

Riku is wide-eyed on the ground, watching her cheer victoriously. He just got beaten by a _girl_. A girl who's never fought before. He's never gonna live this down.

Wait…

"No fair! You cheated!" He accuses, picking himself up. His hands are scraped and his clothes dusty.

"No, I didn't! Tell him Sora!" Kairi denies, coming down from her high and frowning at the sore loser. Sora nods and joins the two. "Yeah, everything looked fair to me." He says.

"Were your eyes closed? One of the rules says nothing below the belt, and she threw her sword at my legs! Who even _throws a sword_? That's totally unfair!"

"You didn't say anything about throwing things! Besides, I hit your chest _after_ tripping you. Nothing unfair about it!" Sparks fly between the two as they try to lean over each other. Since they're almost the same height, it's not really effective.

Sora forces himself between the two and holds them both at arm's length. "Okay you two, calm down." He says as sternly as he can. They growl at each other. "Riku, you teased Kairi and lost, deal with it. Kairi, it's not nice to trip people while they're fighting. And you're not supposed to throw your sword, what if you weren't able to get it back?"

He lets them go and steps back. "Can't we just call this a draw or something? I don't like it when you two argue lie this." He looks at them both, worried and frustrated. Riku glances back and tries to hold on to his anger. But it's impossible to resist those blue eyes and the kicked-puppy-pout. He sighs and accepts defeat. "Fine."

"No!" Kairi stops her foot, startling the boys. "What is your problem with me? One second you're nice and the next you're insulting me? How does that work? Is it because I'm a girl?" She demands, getting in his face. Now that his anger faded, he's a lot less confrontational and backs away. Kairi refuses to let him run away.

"Is it because I don't have a gem? That's it, isn't it? I don't have a gem, so I'm obviously weaker than you." Riku back hits a tree, and he tries running around her. Sora tries to stop her. "Kairi, come on! You know he's just teasing you, he doesn't mean any of it."

"Well, it stops now!" Kairi pushes Riku over, and he falls. Neither of them realized how close they were to the edge where the bridge connects, until Riku slams onto the wood. He falls with his left side, and his gem scratches the corner hard.

Riku gasps, letting out a strangled yell as his hand flies to his gem.

"Riku!" Sora cries, falling to his knees next to him. He pulls at Riku's wrist. "Let me see, let me-"

Kairi stands there, shocked and confused. What happened? He just hit the pole. She didn't push him that hard, did she? Kairi joins Sora on the ground.

She helps him get Riku upright. "What's wrong? Is he okay?" She asks, panic rising up.

"I don't know!" Sora seems to be more distressed than she is, holding onto the whimpering silverette. He tries to come up with a plan. His frantic gaze snaps to her. "Go to the main island and get help. I'll get him to the boats."

Kairi looks down at Riku regretfully and nods.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Kairi says quietly, standing in the living room of Riku's house. He snarls at her, a bandage wrapped around his gem and cotton sticking out from beneath it. His mother stands next to him, a blond-haired woman with the same gem as Riku on her cheek.

Her father nudges Kairi with his elbow. Kairi continues, "I shouldn't have pushed you like that. I was really angry and I took it out on you. I'm really sorry."

Riku's mom nods. "Thank you, Kairi. Riku, don't you have something to say too?"

He stays silent until she throws him_ that_ look.

"I'm sorry." He growls. His mother pinches his ear. "Like you mean it, Riku." She says firmly, letting go.

He frowns harder if that's possible. He looks at Kairi. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have teased you. Just because you don't have a gem doesn't mean you're less than me or deserve it. I won't do it again." His tone is better. Not quite apologetic, but he's on the right track.

His mom seems satisfied. "Good boy. Now go to your room. You can come out when they leave." He can't run fast enough.

His mom sighs and looks Kairi's dad. "I'm so sorry about him. You know how boys are, they think they're the best and when someone comes along who can take their place the act out. I'll talk to."

"Perfectly understandable." Her father agrees, hand on Kairi's shoulder. "As long as he understands what he did wrong and doesn't repeat this behaviour. He's such a calm boy normally. Very lovely when paired with Sora."

"I'm really sorry for hurting him. I didn't mean to." Kairi mumbles, head down and eye averted.

Riku's mom kneels down and lifts her chin with two fingers. "I know you didn't, honey. He was probably asking for it. But you can't let him make you angry, anger never leads to anything good." She says.

"What happened? He just fell, and then he wouldn't get up." Kairi asks the adults.

"Of course you wouldn't know. Geno here didn't think to explain it to you, did he?" The blond scoffs. Kairi's father rubs the back of his head. "Right, I forgot about that…"

"You know we can't get hurt from conventional means. Normal ways." She corrects herself. Small words for small children. "Our bodies are like smoke or light, not really solid but still there. If something happens to them, we go poof! Into our gems. Get it?" Kairi nods.

"Now our gems are completely solid, like any rock on the beach. But they're not much harder. If you throw them on the ground, they go crash! Then a million tiny little pieces of shiny rock will be all over the place! Do you how hard it would be to clean up?" She complains, drawing out a whine. Her antics bring a slight smile to Kairi's lips.

"They can be scratched just as easily." Her father says next to her. "And since gems are basically our entire being, that can really hurt us. Why once hit a wall with mine and felt bruised for a week."

Riku's mom takes over again. "What we're saying is that it's okay to play a little rough with the boys, you just have to be careful. They don't understand how vulnerable your body is, and their gems are just as easy to hurt. And it can take a lot longer to heal. Riku's gem is just a little scratched, and he'll be fine in a few weeks." She reassures. Kairi listens attentively.

"You kids need to look out for each other. Like what you and Sora did, that was good! If one of you is hurt, you always need to get an adult. The one who was hurt needs to be kept calm so the injury doesn't get worse. I could teach you more about first aid later if you'd like, once everyone settles down."

Both Kairi and her father agree. The discussion continues between the two adults and soon they leave.

Kairi ends up grounded for a month. That means no desert, Television or going to Play Island. She takes the punishment with no complaint. Sora is only allowed to come over once a week.

She learns from him that Riku's been grounded too, so Sora's been stuck playing with Tidus and his friends. He says all they do is work on that game they invented and he's started to get bored without his two best friends. Kairi smiles happily at him and says he's her best friend too.

Sora tells her Riku's really sorry about what he did, and that he wants to make up soon. Kairi wants to too, and as soon as she's ungrounded goes to his house.

She's let in by his mom and directed to his room. She knocks on his door.

"Riku? Can I come in?"

It's quiet for a moment, then the doorknob jiggles and twists open. A blue-green eye peeks through the crack.

"What?" He asks. Riku doesn't open the door further, so she forces him to move.

She looks him up and down when she's in. Riku looks upset. His face is scrunched up and he won't look her in the eye. The bandage is gone, and she can see his gem is scuffed up and small chips are missing. It doesn't shine as it should.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asks him. He crosses his arms. "Of course. A tiny scratch like this can't bring me down." He says, puffing up his chest. Kairi rolls her eyes at his tough act.

She grabs his hand, finally drawing his eye to her. "Why were we even fighting?"

He looks uncertain. "It was just supposed to be a spar. I didn't know you'd take my teasing so hard." He confesses.

Kairi looks down and says, "I don't know why it made me so mad. I know you don't mean it."

Both stare at the floor. Riku shakes his head and looks back at her.

"Can we just be friends? I don't wanna fight." His hand tightens, still in her grip. She smiles at him.

"Yeah, I don't want to either. Being friends sounds better." She pulls him into a hug. He hugs back.

Riku suddenly starts laughing. "I don't think Sora's gonna be happy about us hugging without him. He'll probably force us into a hug pile when he hears."

Kairi giggles, "Just don't tell him, silly."

* * *

Fun Fact! The MOHS Hardness Scale doesn't really measure a gem's hardness as much as how hard the gem is to scratch. And Riku's gem, a Chrysocolla measures somewhere between 2,5 and 7 on the scale. Since he's a kid, his gem is on the softer side. And a gem that measures 2 can be scratched with a finger nail. Just thought you'd like to know.

We haven't seen Sora's gem yet (we haven't seen much of him at all, actually), but have no fear! I got something special planned for our little cinnamon role. Will it make you laugh? Will it make you cry? No idea! You'll just have to read the next part of the series to find out!


End file.
